Trial of Boeing inspector accused of leaking company info ends in hung jury

The trial of a former Boeing Co. inspector accused of leaking sensitive company information ended Monday in a hung jury.

After almost a week of deliberations, jurors remained split 10-2 in favor of convicting Gerald Eastman on several counts of computer trespass, said Dan Donohoe, spokesman for the King County prosecutor's office.

Prosecutors will decide in the next two weeks whether to retry him, Donohoe said.

Eastman, 46, was accused of downloading Boeing computer documents and sharing them with The Seattle Times. The Times used the information in several stories, including some regarding production delays in the 777 and production schedules for the 787.

He considered himself a whistleblower, saying he copied files to document what he considered to be inadequate inspection of certain parts. He told police he alerted the Federal Aviation Administration about his concerns but felt that neither the FAA nor Boeing addressed the issues to his satisfaction.

Prosecutors wrote in their trial memorandum that the FAA determined his claims were unfounded, and that he threatened to sue Boeing in 2002 unless they paid him hush money. Boeing declined.

Eastman's lawyer, Ramona Brandes, argued he may have broken company rules but did not commit a crime. She did not immediately return a call for comment Monday afternoon.

Boeing spokesman Peter Conte thanked the jury for its service and police and prosecutors for their work on the case, and stopped short of calling for a retrial.

"Ultimately, the decision is for the prosecutor's office," Conte said.

Eastman inspected engine mounts and tail pipes at a Boeing plant in Tukwila, south of Seattle. Chicago-based Boeing, which assembles its commercial jets in the Seattle area, fired him in 2006. He faced three years in prison if convicted.